Media Spokesperson resources

When the Marine Conservation Society engage with the media for radio and tv interviews we are hoping to;

Promote the charity - Get the public interested in or excited about current issues, the Marine Conservation Society, and our work. We promote events and campaigns to encourage behaviour change.

Increase reach - It’s a great way to reach and engage with a large audience, sometimes in a specific location – many of whom may be unfamiliar with the Marine Conservation Society and our work.

Inform and Educate - It’s an effective way to get accurate information out and even correct misinformation (e.g. All sharks are terrifying!)

Build Trust - It helps the Marine Conservation Society to remain at the forefront of ocean issues and act as a trusted source or 'go-to' for marine-related information

There simply aren’t enough staff members across the UK, particularly at key campaign or activity launches to meet the volume of media requests.

The voice of our volunteers will be passionate and local or community focused and this will carry over more meaningfully to viewers and listeners.

We aren’t asking you to go out and ‘drum up’ media opportunities. The media team will contact you with opportunities and ask if you are available to support an interview. They will then equip you with all the key information you might need.

• As a media spokesperson you'll feel passionate about the work of the charity. You’ll advocate for the Marine Conservation Society’s work and mission - communicating the charities messages.
• We aren’t expecting you to come with experience and all the skills needed for media interviews but our training and support will build your confidence and skills going forwards if needed.
• Remember, when you’re in the role, you’ll be acting as a representative for the charity, our values and our personality (our brand) and it will be important to consider what could risk the charities reputation. For example, you might be vegetarian but you wouldn’t share why you personally chose not to eat seafood in an interview because as a charity we don’t tell people they shouldn’t eat seafood, we promote sourcing sustainable seafood. Or, you would consider what you’re wearing and that it doesn’t include any political slogans, for example.

• How many interviews can we expect to do? It’s very flexible and hard to predict but likely only once every 2-3 months. We can pre-warn everyone when there are likely to be requests coming up, for example, ahead of a new campaign or press release or large events – like GBBC.
• How much notice will we get? It’s very often short notice because that’s the way that journalists work and they can be unreliable or change timings at short notice (sorry).
• What happens if I can’t do an interview? If you can’t be available - just say ‘no’ that’s absolutely fine. For every interview you can help with, you’ll be helping us to deliver so much more than we could without the support of this role but we appreciate you might not be available at short notice. However, once you’ve said yes and taken responsibility to take an interview, commitment is very important. Journalists work to tight deadlines and they can’t miss an edition or a news bulletin so if we let them down after agreeing to work with them it can damage our reputation.
• How far may we be expected to travel? That is up to you. If you are the nearest person to a requested location, the team will get in touch with you but if it’s too far for you to travel – just say no!

The ‘Ocean Voice’ online training and the media training session provide a ‘toolkit’ for preparing and delivering interviews. These are available below whenever you want to refresh your knowledge

The media team will also provide you with a briefing sheet of facts and info with any interview request to help you prepare.

If cost would be a barrier to participating or attending an interview on location then agreed expenses can be claimed through seachampions@mcsuk.org